1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to outer decorative door assemblies for domestic electrical appliances. The term domestic electrical appliances includes such items as refrigerators, washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, spin dryers and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most kitchens are equipped with several different domestic electrical appliances. Many modern kitchens are "fitted", that is to say they include a number of fitted cupboards, units, worktops and the like which are decorated or co-ordinated to provide a uniform decorative theme/color scheme. Wood panelling is one typical popular decorative theme. The matching of domestic appliances to fitted kitchens often causes problems because most existing domestic electrical appliances are finished in white painted or plastic coated steel. Unless the fitted kitchen itself is to be white the existing appliances will not match the kitchen's decorative theme (and if the decorative theme was white painted wood panelling the appliance would not properly match the decoration even then).
When fitting a new kitchen two options are available to obtain a uniform decorative theme which the kitchen's domestic appliances match. The kitchen's existing appliances can be built into units in the fitted kitchen: alternatively the existing appliances can be replaced with new "integrated" appliances, an "integrated" appliance being one which matches the kitchen's decorative theme.
The first option, that is building existing appliances into units, usually involves building a cupboard under a worktop into which the appliance is inserted. This is expensive and time consuming at the fitting stage. First, an extra cupboard is needed which adds to the expense of the fitted kitchen. Also, to enable the appliance to fit fully in the cupboard under the worktop a much wider worktop (usually 700 mm or more) is needed, than would normally be required with an integrated appliance. Further, the cupboard has to be sufficiently large to provide space on either side of the appliance. Also access to the appliance is awkward.
The second option, replacing the existing appliances with new integrated appliances which match the decoration of the kitchen is also expensive because it involves buying new appliances and discarding the existing appliances even though they may be perfectly servicable.
Various types of matched appliance exist. Some are painted in colours other than white: the majority include a panel, which is often made of wood, fitted to the door of the machine. A dishwashing machine having such a wood panelled door is disclosed in GB-A-2079589. EP-A-0080770 discloses a washing machine which has a fitted plastic door panel to which an (interchangeable) decorative panel is screwed.
However, whichever of the two options is chosen, buying integrated appliances, or building in the existing appliances, considerable expense is involved.